The Essential Cheap Trick

Performer: Cheap Trick
Artist: Chrissie Hynde; Billy Corgan
Producer: Christopher Shaw; George Martin; Harry Witz; Ian Taylor; Jack Douglas; Richie Zito; Roy Thomas Baker; Ted Templeman; Todd Rundgren; Tom Werman; Cheap Trick; Bruce Dickinson (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Cheap Trick: Robin Zander (vocals, guitar); Rick Nielsen (guitar); Tom Petersson (bass); Bun E. Carlos (drums). Additional personnel: Chrissie Hynde, Billy Corgan. Recorded between 1977 & 1996. Includes liner notes by Ron Albanese. Liner Note Author: Bob Albanese. Recording information: Budokan (1976-1999); Cabaret Metro, Chicago, IL (1976-1999). Photographers: Don Hunstein; Norman Seeff; Robert Matheu; David Michael Kennedy; Bernd Friedman. Although multiple Cheap Trick collections have been released, the two-disc ESSENTIAL is an excellent compilation for those wanting more than just a cursory overview of the Illinois quartet's work. The band's masterful combination of harmonies, hooks, and crunchy guitar riffs has influenced a legion of younger artists--including Guns N' Roses, Material Issue, and the Smashing Pumpkins--and this hard-rocking mix is on full display throughout the album. The amazingly catchy radio hits--"Surrender," "Dream Police," and "I Want You to Want Me"--are all here, along with lesser-known tracks such as the Beach Boys-flavored "Southern Girls" and a rollicking reading of the Move's "California Man." ESSENTIAL also presents a live version of the melancholy "Mandocello" (with special guest Billy Corgan) and other concert performances, proving that Cheap Trick are a formidable power-pop band both on the stage and in the studio.

Rolling Stone (4/1/04, p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[With] the grand gestures of arena rock, decent hooks and explosions of Dionysian ecstasy that left audiences happy..." Uncut (p.120) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Thrilling, audacious and bang on the money."

Cheap Trick's first few albums are often cited as an influence on both '80s pop-metal and the pop-punk phenomenon of the '90s. Robin Zander's rock-star looks and powerful voice played perfectly off guitar hero Rick Neilsen's oddball image and onstage antics, and the band frequently subverted standard rock song structures with odd, ironic lyrics. In their late-'70s heyday, Cheap Trick's fusion of power-pop and hard rock won them credibility with rockers, new wave fans, and pure popsters. Their 1978 release AT BUDOKAN still stands as one of rock's finest concert albums.

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